Reviews

The Consensus: Trials HD Review

The critics all agree that Trials inclusion of leaderboards will keep bringing you back despite how challenging the levels can be.

"While RedLynx might not have invented the concept of shoving leaderboards in your face whenever possible, the studio has damn near perfected this design philosophy in Trials HD. Not only do you get to see how you rank among friends after completing a track, you also get to see how good you are in real time while playing a level. There's a little meter at the top of the screen that shows how close your position is at any given time compared to your friends' best run-throughs. This helps to show exactly where on a course you struggled most and allowed your rival to shave off a few extra seconds on his time." – Jordan Grim Devore, Destructoid

"You earn medals for good times or scores, so you'll often want to return to a track in order to better your results. Additionally, Trials HD is one of the growing number of games that automatically integrates your friends' results into the interface, so you'll know how your time or score stacks up against them—which almost always gives you a reason to play levels again. To take it a step further, you can pull up the leaderboards for any race or skill game to see a replay of how many of the top scores were achieved." – Andy Eddy, Team Xbox

"After you curse Trials HD for being cheap and uncaring, you may be tempted to turn off the game with disgust. But there is one strong factor that will continually bring you back to the fold, even when the levels seem like impossible monsters that can never be slain: the leaderboard. Everything in Trials HD can be overcome with a bit of practice, and seeing your friends recording impressive times and passing levels that you cannot serves as the motivation to give a level one more shot." – Tom McShea, Gamespot

The Critics Disagree

However, not everyone agreed about the Trials Skill Games, with some finding them too simple to be that enjoyable.

"Finally, Trials HD has a series of Skill Games you can play (though they need to be unlocked through gameplay also). These are even wilder, because they don't involve straight-up racing. One is a ski jump, though your distance is earned by bailing off your bike and gliding your rider through the air and tumbling him along the ground when he lands. In another, you need to navigate the bike toward a series of gigantic pinball flippers that trigger automatically when the bike hits them; your objective is to get as high on the "board" as you can, and it's challenging to keep the rider on the cycle through all of this. These are much like the Flat-Out series and, again, the physics makes them incredibly addictive." – Andy Eddy, Team Xbox

"Outside of the 35 race levels, there are 12 minigames to compete in. These small diversions build on elements from within the main game, and though they aren't nearly as satisfying as the standard levels, they provide another leaderboard challenge. Some of the modes are too simple, forcing you to perfect one action to have any chance of achieving a respectable score. Ski Jump, for instance, isn't that amusing because it's so limited. You try to throw your rider as far as possible, but after a few attempts at tossing your helpless daredevil from the bike, the game quickly loses its appeal. The pinball-themed minigames are the highlights. Here, you have to use pinball flippers to shoot yourself around a level--either to nab targets or get as high as possible--and it's a novel change of pace from the standard action. The minigames don't have the lasting appeal of the racing levels, but they serve as a breath of fresh air when you need a break." – Tom McShea, Gamespot